The present sensor assembly relates to a sensor for a water treatment system, and more particularly to a salometer and flow rate sensor assembly for a brine tank in a water treatment system.
Water softeners are well known in the art and typically include a treatment tank containing an ion exchange resin and a brine tank containing a brine solution. Water softening occurs by running water through the ion exchange resin which replaces the calcium and magnesium cations in the water with sodium cations. As the ion exchange process continues, the resin eventually loses its capacity to soften water and must be replenished with sodium cations. The process by which the calcium and magnesium ions are removed, the capacity of the ion exchange resin to soften water is restored and the sodium ions are replenished is known in the art as regeneration.
During regeneration, brine, a concentrated or saturated salt solution, is passed through the ion exchange resin and the cations in the ion exchange resin are replaced with sodium ions. Regeneration is a multi-step process incorporating a number of cycles, specifically, backwash, brine draw, slow rinse, fast rinse and refill cycles. During the backwash cycle, flow into the treatment tank is reversed to remove sediment from the ion exchange resin.
During the brine draw cycle, highly concentrated sodium chloride or potassium chloride brine is introduced into the ion exchange resin, where the sodium or potassium ions in the brine solution displace the calcium and magnesium ions attached to the ion exchange beads in the resin. The brine draw flow rate is dependent on two main variables—the condition of the eductor nozzle and throat and influent pressure. The eductor nozzle enables the brine solution to flow out of the brine tank through a conduit (throat) and into the treatment tank through an inflow conduit. Plugged or partially blocked eductor nozzles and/or low pressure through the conduits can lead to reduced brine draw flow rates, which can result in an extended brine rinse cycle, unnecessary waste of regeneration water volume and inefficient regeneration of the ion exchange resin. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved water treatment system that alerts the user when the eductor nozzles are clogged and need servicing.
When an adequate level of ion exchange has taken place, used brine is rinsed off the ion exchange resin in the treatment tank during the slow rinse and fast rinse cycles. During the refill cycle, soft water flows through an outflow conduit in the treatment tank and through the conduit in the brine tank, filling the brine tank with soft water to prepare the brine solution for the next regeneration. Plugged or partially blocked refill flow controls/lines in the conduits can lead to reduced refill flow rates, which can result in reduced brine volume in the salt storage tank and to a lower than desired salt dosage in a subsequent regeneration. A reduced salt dosage will result in insufficient regeneration of the ion exchange resin, and a reduction in service capacity and hardness leakage. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved water treatment system that alerts the user when the refill flow lines are clogged and need servicing.
Water softener systems are generally installed in environments with varying temperature and humidity conditions, some of which are more conducive than others to “salt bridging” in the brine tank. A “salt bridge” is a hard crust of salt that forms from a reaction between the salt and humidity in the brine tank, leading to low concentration brine under the “salt bridge” because the salt forming the bridge is unable to dissolve in the water to make brine. This leads to an ineffective ion exchange reaction during the regeneration cycle, and results in service capacity reduction and hardness leakage. Therefore, there is a need for an improved water treatment system that indicates the presence of a salt bridge and enables the user to remove the bridge.